In response to our item from earlier in the day regarding the question of whether a decision by Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger to accept a slightly smaller deal could have enabled the team to bridge the gap between the best offer made by the Steelers to guard Alan Faneca and the proposal he accepted in New York, a source with knowledge of the situation tells us that the Steelers offered Faneca only $1 million less over the first three years than what he'll make with the New York Jets.

"He wanted out," the source said.

Perhaps Faneca's desire to flee came from the team's refusal to give him a raise last year, when seven-year, $49 million contracts were being thrown around like Frisbees at a Frolf tournament, which then made Faneca decide that he would play anywhere but in Pittsburgh in 2008.

So maybe it wouldn't have mattered if the Steelers had been able to come up with a little bit more